smith



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet,- 1,

I. S. SMITH. TROLLEY ATTACHMENT FOR ELEGTRIO CARS.

No. 556,941. Patented Mar. 24, 1896.

AN BREW 8 BPIANAM. FHDTDUrHQwAsmNYON. D C

(Nd Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. S. SMITH.

TROLLEY ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

No. 556,941. Patented Mar. 24, 1896.

ANDREW EGRAHAIM PHOTG'UTNQWAQNINGTON, D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl-CEs FRED S. SMITH, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND FREDERICK O. ROOIUVELL, OF SAME PLACE.

TROLLEY ATTACHMENT FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 556,941, dated March 24, 1896.

Application filed u e 11, 1895 Serial No- 552,385. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: arm to descend automatically. Fig. 3 is a Be it known that I, FEED S. SMITH, a eitiplan view, and Fig. i represents the parts zen of the United States, residing at Hartford, with the trolley-arm drawn down. nearly horiin the county of Hartford and State of Conzontal to latch the springs to the arm for lift- 5 5 5 necticut, have invented an Improvement in ing such arm.

Trolley Attachments for Electric Cars, of In the figures the central portion of the which the following is a specification. trolley-arm is removed, it being understood In electric cars having an overhead conducthat such arm is of any ordinary or desired tor it is usual to employ a trolley-arm that is length to reach from the top of the car to the 1o forced upwardly by spring-pressure, so that conductor.

the wheel at the end of the trolley-arm bears A portion of the top of the car is shown at against the conductor, and to the end of the A with a vertical pivot B for connecting the trolley-arm a rope is usually attached by trolley-stand C to the car, and it is to be unwhich the driver or motorman can draw down derstood that the pivot in the trolley-stand I5 the arm and swing the same around from one may be of any desired character and that the end of the car to the other. In passing trolley-stand and trolley-arm can be swung switches the grooved pulley at the end of the around upon the vertical pivot in bringing trolley-arm sometimes separates from the conthe trolley-arm D around to the other end of ductor and the spring throws up the trolleythe car when the direction of travel of the car 2o arm, and the same is liable to become injured is reversed.

by contact with the guard wires or with trees The lower end of the trolley-arm D is at an or other obstructions, and sometimes the angle to the upper part, and it is pivoted at guard or span wires are broken. Al to a jaw E upon the trolley-stand C, and the The present invention is made with refer-. trolley-arm is advantageously made hollow 2 5 ence to unlatching the trolley-arm and allowand the lower end of the arm maybe troughing the same to drop whenever the pressure shaped with parallel sides for the convenience of the flanged wheel at the end of the trolleyof receiving the parts hereinafter described. arm against the conductor is relieved, so that The rod F is pivoted at 5 to the trolley-arm if the flanged wheel of the trolley separates and the other end of said rod slides through 0 from the conductor it is raised instantly by a a fixed support G upon the trolley-stand, and spring, and in so doing the mechanism con there is a sliding cross-head II upon this red nee-ting the springs with the trolley-arm is un- F, preferably guided by a tube II around such latched, so that the trolley-arm ceases to be rod F, and to this cross-head H the springs I acted upon by the springs and immediately are connected at one end and the other ends 8 5 3 5 descends,and the mechanism thatis employed of such springs are connected to the support to connect the springs with the trolley-arm is G. In this arrangement the springs I become so constructed that upon drawing the trolleytensiousprings, as these usually are prefarm down to a nearly horizontal position the erablc, but I do not limit myself to any parsprings are strained and a latch connection ticular kind of springs, and the end of the 40 made between the same and the trolley-arm, tube II may strike against any suitable stop so that such springs immediately lift the outer to limit the movement under the action of the end of the trolley-arm ready to be guided into sprin I have shown a separate tube-seccontact with the under side of the suspended tion around the rod F for the end of the tube conductor, H to stop against. 5 45 In the drawings, Figure l. is a side view, The pawl L is connected with the lower end partially in section, showing the trolley-arm of the trolley-arm preferably by the pivot 5, in the normal position for use. Fig. 2 is a the lower end of the pawl L coming between similar view representing the flanged roller the forked end of the rod 1, and there is a as having separated from the elevated conspring K, which tends to hold such pawl L 50 ductor and then raised by the spring and the down into the tro1ley-arm and between the mechanism unlatched ready for the trolleyside flanges thereof, and upon the knuckle or cause its flanged wheel 0 at the upper end of the trolley-arm to bear against the under side of the conductor P, so as to pass the electric current down through the trolley-arm, as

usual, and if thehook N is disengaged from.

the pawl L the springs will draw back the cross-head H and tube H and allow the upper end of the trolley-arm to descend.

I provide for holding down the end of the pawl L, as next described, so as to keep the hook N in engagement with thenotclr 6 in the pawl and for allowing the parts to separate by relieving the end of the pawl L, so that it may swing upwardly and disengage the knuckle of the pawl from the hook. With the said object in View I mount the flanged wheel 0 upon a movable support R and employ a spring 8 to throw the support Rand flanged wheel 0 upwardly in relation to the trolley-arm when there is no resistance offered or rope Q, usually provided with trolley-arms,

isconnected, and the spring 8 surrounds the support It and tends to lift the same, and

' there is a link 9 between the support R and the rod of the bolt S. Hence when the spring 8 lifts the support R and flanged wheelO the link 9 draws the bolt S along and unbolts the end of the pawl L, and when the rope Q is drawn upon and the support R pulled down the link 9 projects the lower end of the bolt S over the swinging end of the pawl L and holds such pawl in its position,and the parts remain as shown in Fig. 1 during the time that the rope Q is pulled upon and also during the time that the flanged wheel 0 rests against theelevated conductor. Hence the pawl L is not unbolted when the trolley-arm is drawn down by the action of the rope and such arm swung around from one end of the car to the other; but if the flanged wheel 0 and movable support R are allowed to rise in relation to the end of the trolley-arm, so as to draw,

jaw E, preferably behind the pivot 4c, and upon this restoring-lever is a cross-rod and roller 11, and the upper ends of the restoringlever T are connected by links U to the crosshead H and by screws or pivots.

Then the trolley-arm falls, as before mentioned, it is arrested by the roller 11 upon the restoring-lever T and the restoring-lever may yield to the force or leverage of the trolleyarm, because such restoring-lever T can be swung upon its pivots and the springs 1 lengthened. I make use of this condition to prevent undue concussion .upon the trolley-arm and also to restore the parts to a normal position when the trolley-arm is brought substantially horizontal.

The proportionsof the parts are such that as the trolley-arm is brought down nearly horizontal ;by drawing upon the rope Qihe cross-head H is drawn along bodily by the links U as the trolley arm swings the restoring-lever T by itsaction upon the roller 11, and in so doing the cross-head H is brought alongfar enough for the end ofthe hook N to engage the notch 6 in the pawl L. Hence thetension of the springs I willnow be applied through the cross-head H and hook N and the knuckle of the pawl L to lift up the outer end of the trolley-arm andcause the flanged wheel 0 to bear against the conductor, and the parts remain in thisposition with the bolt S holdingthe end of the pawl L, and this condition continues .regardlessof any rise, or fall in the outer end of the trolley-arm, because the power of the springs I is sufficient to overcome the spring 8, such spring 8 not being sufliciently strong to lift the weight of the conductor resting upon the flanged wheel 0: but so soon as such-flanged wheel 0 may jump awayfrom the conductor in passing a switch or otherwise there is no resistance to keep down the flanged wheeleO, and the spring 8 raises the same and draws back the bolt S. liberating the pawl L and allowing the same to swing up and .unhook the hook N from the notch in the knuckle of the pawl, and thus disconnecting the cross-head and springs from the trolley-arm, allowing such tr0l1ey-arn1 to fall until it is arrested by contact with the roller 11. These partsare efficient and the cost of construction is but slightly increased over the trolley-arms now usually employed.

If the trolley-arm is allowed to rise by its springs until nearly vertical the hook will slip off the knuckle of the pawland the arm fall. This will sometimes be a convenience in actuating the trolley by the rope to lower such trolley and in storing the cars at night or in passing an obstruction.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with the trolley-arm and its pivot, of a rod pivoted to the trolleyarm and a support through which the same passes, a cross-head sliding on said rod, and a hookoarried by the cross-head, and springs acting upon the cross-head, a pawl upon the trolley-arm for engaging the hook, a flanged 556,941 I l a wheel at the end of the trolley-arm to bear against the elevated conductor and mechanism intervening between the flanged wheel and the pawl for holding such pawl and for liberating the same when the flanged wheel does not bear upon the conductor, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with the trolley-arm and its pivot, of a rod pivoted to the trolley arm and a support through which the same passes, a cross-head sliding on said rod, and a hook carried by the cross-head, and springs acting upon the cross-head, a pawl upon the trolley-arm for engaging the hook, a flanged wheel at the end of the trolley-arm to bear against the elevated conductor, a movable support for the flanged wheel and the bolt acting to hold the pawl and a connection from the bolt to the movable support for withdraw ing the bolt and liberating the pawl when the flanged wheel rises in its relation to the end of the trolley-arm, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the trolleystand and pivoted trolley-ar1n, of a rod and a crosshead thereon, springs acting upon the crosshead, mechanism for connecting the crosshead and the trolley-arm and mechanism for disconnecting the cross-head from the trolleyarm by a movement of the flanged wheel in its relation to the trolley-arm, and a restoring-lever acted upon by the trolley-arm and having links connecting the restoring-lever with the cross-head for applying a strain to the spring and restoring the parts to their normal position, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination with the trolley-arm and the stand to which it is pivoted, of a rod connected with the trolley-arm, a support for the same, a cross-head and springs for acting upon the trolley-arm to raise the same, a pawl pivoted upon the trolley-arm and having a spring, a hook upon the cross-head engaging the pawl, a bolt for holding down the moving end of the pawl, a flanged wheel to run against the conductor, a movable support for the flanged wheel passing through the end of the trolley-arm and a rope connected therewith, a connection between the support for the flanged wheel and the bolt and a spring for lifting the movable support and flanged wheel and withdrawing the bolt from the pawl, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 7th day of June, 1895.

FRED S. SMITH. Witnesses:

G130. T. PINCKNEY, S. *1. HAVILAND. 

